This invention relates to AC-DC converters and in particular to AC-DC converters that provide a unity power factor to sinusoidal AC sources.
There are essentially two types of prior art AC-DC power converters; those that have a capacitor type input filter and those that have an choke type input filter. The AC to DC converters that have a capacitor type input filter have associated therewith peak charging currents for charging the capacitors that are located within the capacitor type input filter. The choke type input filters have squarewave currents which are detrimental to the power line that drives the AC to DC converter. In both cases, the conventional AC to DC converters produce input line currents that have undesirable harmonic contents that, if removed, must be done so by large power filters.